His fingers grazed over my nipple, which hardened. Clearly starving myself of sex was not the most intelligent plan.
“I can start chanting ‘kiss’ if you want.”
I made a mental note to drown Seph later, but right now I was unable to tear my eyes off Liam’s face.
He looked serious, but not in the way he had last night when he’d been challenging. Right now he was watching me as if I was a skittish creature who might run away at any time.
He didn’t know me yet.
I leaned over, my hand raising up over his body to the back of his neck and bringing him in for a kiss. There was no over thinking of it. I’d had a thousand kisses, some good, a lot bad. This would fall into one of those two categories.
But it didn’t.
Seph’s voice, Ava’s laughter, the sound of the water in the pools – it all drifted away, fading to nothing. The only thing I could hear was the beating of my own heart, the pace of it tapping out a sprint as my lips touched his.
It started slow. Tentative. We were both testing to see how the other moved, how far we could push the other’s lines. If we had them.
My mouth opened to him, allowing him access and then one of his hands was behind my head, deepening the kiss, his other hand now sliding down my back and pulling me over to him so I somehow ended up straddling his lap.
It was lasting far too long. And my hands were on his shoulders as if I was holding on for dear life. He was my life raft and we were sailing down some treacherous ravines. Fingers now pressed into my waist, then one hand dropped lower and I wondered how low he would go, given we were in a shared pool with three of my friends witnessing what was becoming a very public display of – affection?
I started to pull away, ending the kiss with a nip to his bottom lip. When I saw his eyes, they were dilated and filled with what was unmistakable desire.
I didn’t want to believe that mine had the same look.
“And I think you’ve just proven that you can make this all look very realistic and very believable. Never mind Liam, I don’t think I could get out of the pool right now.”
I turned around to see Ava pretending to fan herself.
Liam’s hands were still on me.
“We’re very good actors.” I wriggled off his knee and shifted into the middle of the pool, trying to focus on the water and not the ache between my legs.
“Very good.” Liam’s echo did not sound amused.
I turned around to him and gave him a vapid smile. “We got this, partner.”
There was no smile back, just eyes that looked stony. Cold. For a second I wanted to ask him what had happened. I knew he didn’t like me – hell, the feeling was mutual – but this venture was to shape a mutual goal.
“I think we should talk.”
The words everyone wanted to hear.
* * *
He was out of the pool and heading inside before I had even blinked, the words “meet me at my car,” said when he was almost out of earshot. I didn’t answer any of the questions that were flung at me by Ava or Seph, instead kicking myself for dancing to the beat of Liam Rosehill’s drum.
I dried off quickly, chucking on sweats and a t-shirt, then a hoodie and my thick coat that looked as if someone had inflated it. My feet were stuffed into furry boots and my hair tied up in a damp messy bun. As much as I peddled looking good, I wasn’t feeling it right now.
I was anxious, and I didn’t really know why. If Liam didn’t want to present this façade then that was fine. The building would be gone and that would be that. What would be, would be. I knew all that. This wasn’t the end of anyone’s world; no one was ill, no one was upset, worse things really did happen at sea, but the churning in my stomach suggested something meant more than it should and I didn’t know why.
Liam was resting against his car, a large jeep perfect for the terrain of Iceland. His hair was damp and unstyled, his arms thick with muscle that was distinctive through the thin coat he had on. Scruff grazed his chin and I understood why it wasn’t just music fans who had worshipped him.
“I take it you’ve got cold feet about our little charade?” I had to speak first, to try and grab some control over this situation.
“No. I just wasn’t sure what our charade really was, or whether you were just taking the piss in front of your friends.” His words felt colder than the air.
“There was a bit of piss taking.” I couldn’t deny it.
